Myspace: The New Campaigning Method for Presidential Hopefuls

Gone are the days of impersonal primary presidential candidates. Primary presidential candidates in the 2008 election are now campaigning on Myspace. Everyday when I log onto my Myspace account, I see new candidates in the primary presidential election who have posted a website on Myspace. Here's a breakdown of the some of the contenders' sites:

Some candidates like Mike Gravel seem to be using Myspace as a way to receive financial support for their campaign. Gravel's Myspace account, (http://www.myspace.com/mikegravelforpresident), primarily consists of ways for supporters to donate money. He also has code so that people can put a very large banner on their website that says, "Gravel for President" along with his website, http://www.gravel08.us.

Other candidates, like Jim Gilmore, seem to be using Myspace the way it was intended. (http://www.myspace.com/gilmoreforpresident) However, his blog primarily consists of press releases and there did not appear to be any comments. When I tried to post a comment, I received a message saying that all comments must be approved to this blog before they would be posted. It seems that Gilmore is not attentive to public input. There was also no where on the front page of his Myspace account that quickly identified him with his party. Gilmore also has a banner people can download and a place where people can donate.